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Monday, January 11, 2016

I am way behind schedule for this post but in the end I think it worked out best. Back in October I was asked to pick a fabric from Organic Cotton Plus* for my semi-annual blog post. I dithered for a bit and wound up asking my little girls to pick out a fabric. They chose the Waverine Interlock which is an animal print. Between finding a coordinating rib knit (I ordered the White Fine Rib) and then the holidays, sewing was put on the back burner until after we returned home from Wisconsin.

BK is wearing a Kitschy Coo Skater Dress. I took the size 7/8 that I had traced off and added a little width and length to it as she wanted a looser fit. Every time BK asks me to sew her a dress she states that it needs to be fitted up top and then flare out and it has to be comfortable. That is why the Skater Dress is my go to pattern for her. It's perfect for church, playing in the backyard, or whatever mischief my youngest gets in to (which is A LOT).

I had enough leftover fabric to make MG a top until I made a big little cutting mistake. Uh oh. Since I had promised a top, I was going to make a top even if that meant substituting another fabric for one of the pieces.

MG is wearing an Ottobre Design top from the Fall 2015 issue. "Rosy Grey" sweatshirt (#30) in a size 128 width with 140 length. For future reference, I found the neckline ribbing to be a little too long and the hem band a bit short. It's a hard to see but I finished all the seams with the mock coverstitch stitch on my sewing machine in blue thread.

I'm having a tiny bit of regret regarding my choice of using the White Fine Rib for the back. My reasoning was that I wanted the wearer to be able to look down and see the Waverine Print. But when I handed the top to MG, she assumed that the white was the front.Too late to do anything about it now but if I run in to a similar situation, I'll put the solid on the front.As far as the fabrics, I was a little concerned about the how the waverine design would hold up since it's printed on top of the interlock. So far, it still looks like new and it's been through the wash multiple times. I'll post an update at the end of winter to let you know how it's doing. I love the white fine rib. It's so soft! The recovery is okay. I will definitely be using it again to make tops out of.

*Disclosure: Organic Cotton Plus sent me the Waverine Print in exchange for a blog post. I purchased the White Fine Rib. I am a part of their affiliate program but also a happy customer or I wouldn't be doing these posts!:)

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The younger girls had a real problem finding shorts that fit and were a style they liked this year. I had searched all our usual kids' clothing stores but we had no luck. The shorts they do have are starting to become quite worn out. Luckily, Ottobre Design had a pattern that I thought might work.

Both MG and I are happy with how they turned out. The only qualms I have is that they are a bit short and the seat of the shorts is a little baggy on MG. I ended up serging and turning up the hems to preserve as much length as I could. Next time, I'll add an inch so that I can do a double fold hem. As for the baggy butt, it's just the way things fit on her. If she wasn't going to outgrow the shorts in 6 months, I'd see about doing an adjustment.

Summer meant next to no
sewing for me between work, taking kids to practice, and taking kids to
their summer jobs. I spent more hours in the car than anything else
this summer. Though I was able to spend several mornings at the beach
each week since my son's cross country practice is held at a state park
across the street from the ocean. So there were a few perks to being
the taxi driver!School has started now and even though I am still working, I'm going to do my best to squeeze a little sewing in. I've missed it! Now the question is, do I go ahead and trace off BK's size to make a pair or move on to fall sewing?

Friday, June 26, 2015

My little girls are following in big sister's footsteps and are exploring the world of Track & Field. Two of K's high school coaches run a track club during the summer for kids 5-18 years of age. Practices are held 3 nights a week and it's been very hot here. The girls had several athletic t-shirts but 100 degree weather really calls for tank tops.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

pattern: Oliver + S Butterfly Blouse + Skirtsize: 7, the skirt was cut at an 8 lengthfabric: Lily Pond woven cotton* and White cotton interlock, both from Organic Cotton Plusmods: eliminated the peplum from the Butterfly *I received the Lily Pond fabric for free from Organic Cotton Plus in exchange for a honest review. However, I purchased the white interlock. I've been very happy with all the fabric (rib knit, twill, jersey) OCP has sent me over the past 18 months. I hadn't actually purchased from them and when I needed some white knit, it was time to put my money where my mouth is. Spoiler: I'm very happy with the fabric I bought!

It's been awhile since I've bought a pattern right after it was released. But I really liked the Butterfly blouse and the fact that it could be sewn out of a knit or a woven fabric. MG likes simple, unfussy clothes so I eliminated the peplum. I took the peplum pattern piece and taped it to the front and back bodices, overlapping the 1/2" seam allowances. I also folded out the extra width of the front peplum pattern piece.

Knit tops are what my little girls prefer to wear. I usually use cotton/lycra knit as that seems to be the easiest to find but I prefer the weight of a good interlock. The interlock from Organic Cotton Plus doesn't disappoint! I'll be ordering more to use for some selfish sewing.;)

I used cotton voile (OCP included a scrap at my request with the Lily Pond print) for the keyhole facing and the bias binding at the neckline. I love the keyhole opening in the back! Some of my favorite tops from Gymboree have that same detail. I used elastic instead of a thread loop to hold the opening closed.

Like so many others have said, the Butterfly skirt sews up really quick. The pleats in the front add a little interest to an otherwise simple skirt. MG likes that the front waistband is flat.

It's a great pattern to use a fun print. I love the whimsy of the lily pad print. The fabric looked familiar to me but I couldn't quite place it. Then it dawned on me...it's part of Rae Hoekstra's Lotus Pond fabric line. I did a quick search online and it looks like Organic Cotton Plus has the fabric for $1 less than other retailers. They also have a few other prints from the Lotus Pond fabric line. The fabric is a little lighter weight than your typical quilting cotton...perfect for a summer skirt.

BK picked the fabric and the pattern. I wanted to leave the sleeves off but she insisted that the dress have sleeves. There was a brief moment of panic when she tried on the dress midway through construction and complained that it was uncomfortable under the arms. I went back and trimmed the seam allowances and crossed my fingers. Happily, there were no complaints today when she wore the dress to church!

Also, per BK, I left off the fabric belt. I still think it would look cute with something at the waist. I'm keeping my eye out at work for a white girl's belt. If I can find one before the dress is outgrown, I'll add thread chain belt loops to the side seams to help hold the belt in place.Assuming of course that BK will wear it.;)